Continuous phase breaking efficiency

An effective hquid-liquid reactor may be designed to obtain drops that continuously break up and coalesce, or it may be designed to obtain very small drops that have very efficient mass transfer and follow the continuous phase with a low rate of coalescence. The former will require a much larger reactor, but the separation of the phases after reaction is simpler. 

Effect of Continuous Phase Composition. With increasing concentration of Shellsol T in the continuous phase and therefore decreasing bulk phase viscosity (as shown in Figure 13), the emulsion breaking efficiency increases (Figure 14). As expected, the mutual approach of the water droplets will be facilitated in lower viscous continuous phases. 

Figure 14. Effect of continuous phase composition on emulsion breaking efficiency.

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